Calcium Chloride

[Richard]

The local tractor developed flat in rear tire. I asked what kind of liquid, confirmed is CC.

As Uncle is 82, I don't expect this to be fixed before I can get to it /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif as such, it has become one of my next projects.

Much of this liquid has drained on the ground. I asked him (retired pharmacist) if there was any danger to ground water, he said he didn't think so, after all, there is already calcium in the ground, and the chloride part I didn't hear him... (hmm)

So, IS calcium chloride "dangerous" or will it get digested away as it soaks into the ground. It is too late for what ever the answer is by the way. I don’t care so much about the rim as I do the ground. The rim already has a hole eaten around the stem. Sadly, I have no clue if this hole is new (ie, is cc THAT quick to eat it?) or if that is maybe what rubbed the tube raw.

I was going to put tire in back of truck and take to co-op. I can't imagine NOT getting some of this liquid on the truck bed. Will this be bad for the bed? Just throw a tarp down?

Been trying to contact local co-op, no luck so far..I guess busiest part of day for them.

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

Richard

If I recall right, Calcium Chloride is what they spray on the roads around here in the winter to get rid of ice. Doesn't seem to hurt anything. Might lure some deer in to eat the grass right there, though.

SHF

 

[DocHeb]

Calcium Chloride is not "poisonous" - it is made of two of the most common elements in our bodies, Calcium (from bones) and Chloride (as in rock/table salt, Sodium Chloride). That said, it will kill living things in too high of concentrations - just like rock salt will kill grass and trees next to the road or sidewalks. Just don't drink it and you'll be ok. It is not toxic by contact.

The ground is a different matter. Although grass won't grow because the salt concentrations, it won't contaminate ground water to a significant degree. These two elements are also common in the ground, and will be diluted by rain. They will gradually leach deeper into the soil. If you need grass to grow there within the next couple years, you'll need to strip off 6" of topsoil and replace it.

 

[Youare]

Calcium likes to eat metal which is probably why the rim developed a hole near the valve stem and I would bet the leak in the tube is in that area. Calcium choride disolves readly in water what you get in the truck bed from transport just rinse out good and you should not have a problem.

Randy

 

[Golfgar4]

In high school (sometime in the '60's /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif) I worked for a tire dealer. We were always going out to farms to change flats on their tractors (which always seemed to be out in the middle of the filed where they were spreading manure /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif). We'd take a 55 gallon drum to hold the calcium chloride that we pumped out, but every few months we needed new drums cause the old one would rust so bad. I did ask a farmer one day if the calcium chloride hurt his fields or crops. He just kind of shrugged and said it was only on a small spot in a big field /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif. Of course, that WAS in the '60's, which was before we knew that everything was harmful /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif.

 

[Richard]

Thank you all for your comments. The tractor is right next to gravel road, so not TOO concerned about the grass there..besides..what the wife doesn't know wont hurt her.

Spoke with Co-op earlier...extra $60 for showing up...since I have tools to remove & pick tire up to truckbed, I think I'll do that, let them fight it there (at their shop)..and them decide if the rim is ok or not..deal with that, then bring fixed tire home and see how persistent of a bulldog I am to get it back on.

This time however, I understand they use the methanol.

Thanks again

 

[Golfgar4]

Like I mentioned earlier, I worked for a tire service in high school. One summer day, which turned out to be the hottest of the year, we ended up going out and changing the same tire three times in the middle of a manure field! We'd take it off, run back to the shop and fix it, go back to put it on and it would start leaking again. Heat, smell, tired - guess what we were saying /w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif? Anyway, the last time we took it off, we checked way up inside the rim and found a little metal burr that was located just at the right spot to slice right through the valve stem as the tire was mounted! Of course, the guy I was working with (the full time employee with 20 + years experience) is yelling at me (part time H.S. kid with < 1 year experience) for not finding this burr the first time we changed the tire /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif. Needless to say, that was a day I'll never forget!

 

[Devildog]

Richard,
I use Calcium Choride on our gravel road to keep the dust down. Works excellent. I learned that method from the dept of transportation/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[MarkV]

Richard, If you are having the tire refilled it is going to be mighty heavy when you get it home. I am sure Brutus and a chain would get it out of the truck but be careful trying to mount it by yourself. Even the small tires on the compacts can weigh several hundred pounds. If you are not having it refilled I would worry about one tire filled and the other not. Seems like that would create an unbalanced situation that could be potentially dangerous. You have most likely thought all that out but I thought I would mention it.

MarkV

 

[Richard]

Yes, thank you MarkV. You have mirrored some of my thoughts exactly. One reason I'm considering taking it in myself, is my presumpton that this hole is going to be an issue and it will first have to go to the shop, or simply be replaced. My primary "problem" (ie, cheapness) is to pay them $60 to drive out to only then say.."well, there's a hole in it, can't do it".

I figure I'll take it to them, they can see state of rim, if it needs welded, I'll take it further...

I MAY then call them about comeing out to then install it for me, but I suspect I'll at least give it a try and scratch the rust off of some words I haven't used in a long time. /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

 

[MarkV]

Richard,
Someone mentioned having a rim fixed that was rusted out at the stem by drilling a new hole on the opposite side and welding a plate over the old hole. I am sure some grinding at the weld and a tube was involved also. Good luck with the project.

MarkV

 

[Richard]

Thanks to all..

Last night we removed the tire. It's in back of truck heading to the tire hospital today. Personally, I don't like the looks of the hole in the rim. Fortunately, Uncle in Law is taking it to shop so he will get to decide what the answer is, then this next week as he's out of town, I'll put the puzzle back together.

He asked about jacking the tractor up... I looked at him, muttered "pffffffffffffft"..jumped on Brutus and off we went.

Hoisted tractor up with chain wrapped around axle. Placed two floor jacks under the axle, lowered..moved chain to tire, loosened tire..lifted tire placed in truck. Went very well.

I suspect the ease of putting it back on will not be TOO much more difficult, the only issue I see now, having gone this far, is while sitting in Brutus, eyeballing the height of tire relative to axle and jumping on/off Brutus maybe 10 times to get it at the "right" height to place tire on axle.

Shop said they now use methanol (?)..I think that's what they said. None the less, no more CC.

Richard

 

[MikePA]

<font color=blue>Shop said they now use methanol (?)..</font color=blue>

Hopefully, it isn't methanol....

A colorless, toxic, flammable liquid, CH3OH, used as an antifreeze, a general solvent, a fuel, and a denaturant for ethyl alcohol. Also called carbinol, methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood spirits.

 

[kofronj]

Methanol + water + blue stuff = windshield washer fluid

It makes a fine antifreeze. If it leaks out, it will evaporate pretty quickly too---not an issue with poisoning pets and kiddies like ethylene glycol.

 

[Richard]

Tire back. Needed new rim, tube, liquid of some sort /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif total bill as I understand it, about $150 /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Strapped chain around tire, hooked to backhoe and had at it. Ultimately took about an hour to put tire onto tractor, as the floor jacks holding tractor had sunk maybe an inch or so into ground and unbeknown to us, made the tractor too "short" for the tire to fit properly.

After we figured that out, put tire down, raised tractor, picked tire back up, yada yada..got it on.

Was ultimately, VERY easy to do. We even went ahead and attached the wheel weights prior to mounting on tractor so we could get to both side of wheel with wrenches. Unc said he thought it would be easier to do AFTER on tractor. I think now, he is glad we did it before.

Saga over!

 

[Wingnut]

Richard,
any major weight difference in the two wheels since you have one filled with CC and the other woth antifreeze?

 

[OCDLubeman]

Here in Michigan I speak with a lot of farmers that use "beet juice" to ballast their tires. I imagine it's a by product of our sugar beet industry. That calcium cloride is nasty stuff. We had to replace two front rims on our old SAME tractor (Italy) because of calcium chloride leaks.

Also, there are several soybean based road dust suppressants on the market now. I would imagine they are much safer than the salt solution. I plan to try them out this summer.

 

[Richard]

Hmm..interesting question.

Honestly? I haven't a clue. All I've done so far with tire remounted has been box blade all the gravel driveways. I don't do any cutting of the fields..Uncle in law "enjoys" doing that. For what I've done, I haven't noticed any difference.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

As a rule... water/antifreeze mix ~ 8 lbs/gal versus
water/Calcium Chloride mix ~11 1/2 lbs/gal...

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Evidently using methanol and water ain't that bad. My local tire guy, does all of the local dealers compacts 20hp and above (4 different dealers), uses the stuff in all of the tires he loads. He can't give away the CC. I figure if he's removing the tires and fixin' them he probably wouldn't put anything dangerous in the tire. The ratio of meth is pretty diluted if I remember right.
Ob1